I used it...

we went to home depot one day and I got one of these patio pepper plants, for 99 cents!

the first ones I cut off I froze...
then I remembered the dehydrator I got from Leon and Momma and decided to try drying the next ones. 24 hrs later I have nice dried peppers for cooking up later.

new foods...

Kitchari Blend - Rice and Mung Lentil Stew Blend

Kitchari, a mixture of rice and mung dal, is basic to the Ayurvedic way of life. Basmati rice and mung dal both have the qualities of being sweet and cooling with a sweet after taste. In America, downing a hearty grain dish would not be called fasting. But in India kitchari—a soupy porridge made from rice and mung beans, lightly spiced with ginger, cilantro, and other spices—is considered a fasting food and is used to purify digestion and cleanse systemic toxins. Ayurvedic physicians often prescribe a kitchari diet before, during, and after panchakarma, a rejuvenative treatment that cleanses toxins stored in bodily tissues as it restores systemic balance. Kitchari provides solid nourishment while allowing the body to devote energy to healing. You can safely subsist on kitchari anytime in order to build vitality and strength as it helps balance all three doshas. For restless vata, the warm soup is grounding; for fiery pitta, its spices are calming; and for chilly kapha, it provides healing warmth. Ayurveda believes that all healing begins with the digestive tract, and kitchari can give it a much-needed rest from constantly processing different foods while providing essential nutrients. The blend of rice and split mung beans offers an array of amino acids, the building blocks of protein. Its mixture of spices is believed to kindle the digestive fire, the Ayurvedic description for your innate digestive power, which can be weakened by poor food combinations. Kitchari tastes like a cross between a creamy rice cereal and a light dal, or lentil soup. If it is a cold, blustery day or you are feeling under the weather, a steaming bowl of this classic Indian comfort food can both warm up your bones and restore sagging energy.

• 1 cup white basmati rice
• 1 cup split mung beans
• 1 tablespoon ghee or butter
• 1/4 teaspoon cumin seed
• 1/4 teaspoon brown mustard seeds
• 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/4 teaspoon rock salt or sea salt
• 4 cups water

Directions

1. 1
   

   Rinse the rice and mung beans until the water is clear.

2. 2

   In a saucepan over medium heat, heat the ghee and add the mustard seeds and cumin seeds. Stir a moment until the seeds pop.

3. 3

   Add the rice, mung beans, turmeric, and salt, and stir until well blended with the spices.

4. 4

   Add the water and bring to a boil. Boil for 5 mins, uncovered, strring occasionally.

5. 5

   Turn down the heat to low and cover, leaving the lid slightly ajar. Cook until tender, about 20-25 minutes.

changes...

we have some new bath toys...

a potty chair...

and small dressers for two, with butterflies and nursery rhymes...
Sam's Room is becoming ... "the girls room"

family...

May, 2010

Momma's flowers

memories...

when we were young we stayed with our grandparents on the farm. they were in the process of building their house and were living in the out building, which later became the chicken house.
It didn't have indoor plumbing...in fact it had a dirt floor. we used the outhouse,,,and this is all that's left of it, the picture above.

this is the old chicken house, or whats left of it.

here's the water pump in front of the house where we got water. Grandma would also use it to wash our feet off after we played outside.

here's a picture of the barn and a barn kitty.

and some baby goats, aren't they cute. it was very difficult to get them to line up just right.

double take...

these were taken of Imo Elevator from my mom's backyard.

Look to the sky...

while at momma's we stood outside to get pictures of the sunset. Sheri (the almost degreed photographer) said it wasn't a really good sunset, but i thought it was pretty, and since then I haven't looked at the sky the same again. in an instant you may just see that perfect picture and then I wonder...where's my camera?

OH NO...

I'm out of eggs...What to do? Well, google is my friend. I found that you can use a number of things to replace eggs, depending on what you're cooking. The wonderful Pioneer Thinking website provided the following:

2 tbsp cornstarch = 1 egg
2 tbsp arrowroot flour = 1 egg
2 tbsp potato starch = 1 egg
1 heaping tbsp soy powder + 2 tbsp water = 1 egg
1 tbsp soy milk powder + 1 tbsp cornstarch + 2 tbsp water = 1 egg.
1 banana = 1 egg in cakes.
1 tbsp milled flax seed and 3 tbsp water = 1 egg. Light, fluffy cakes!

I had made a flax seed gel once before when trying to make a natural hair gel. I remember heating up flax seeds in a pot of water and getting this amazing gel, so I did the same again.
Place 1 tbsp flax seeds and six tbsp water in a small saucepan. Let it simmer on low heat until a gel is formed. Strain, cool and use.

Has anyone else tried other egg substitutes? If so, did they work? Please leave your comments.

reposted from The Bush Gourmand.

Sweet and sour soup...

We always order the sweet and sour soup when we eat Chinese food...so this is a good recipe for making it at home. It is by Abby of Love Made The Radish Grow , check out her blogs also at Simple, Green, Frugal Coop.

I have had a hot and sour soup recipe in queue to try for awhile. This one is soooo fast, soooo easy and soooo good. It was a great, fast lunch today, and will be on a regular rotation now at our house. I started with a recipe I had found at The Kitchn, but modified it quite a bit to make sure it fit what I had on hand, and to make things a bit more local. Even my toddler ate a big bowl! This makes quite a bit-enough for a meal, and is far better than what you can get with normal takeout, saving time and money and using up some of those eggs that, I don't know about you, but my gals are laying like crazy!



Hot and Sour Soup

6 button mushrooms (dried shitake or straw mushrooms would work well here, too, but you need to soak them in boiling water for at least an hour before making this. Really, any fresh mushroom will work, just slice them in and put them in the soup, no soaking needed)
1 pound ground pork or breakfast style pork sausage
1/4 medium onion, chopped
1 quart chicken stock, fresh or canned
salt
soy sauce
1/2 t ground pepper
3 tbsp vinegar
3 tbsp cornstarch mixed with 4 TBSP. cold water
1 egg, lightly beaten
Sesame seed oil
1 scallion, finely chopped

In a large stockpot, brown and crumble the pork. Once it is mostly cooked, add the onion, and saute a bit, until it starts to soften. Add the mushrooms and chicken stock. I added another 2-4 cups of water to this, in order to make enough soup for the whole family as a main dish. At this point you will add the seasoning base, then start tasting until you get the flavor just right. This really varies from person to person, so you NEED to TASTE the soup as it heats through, otherwise it will turn out too bland or salty. So...
Start with 3 T soy sauce and 3 T vinegar, plus the pepper. If the salt tastes fine, you don't need anymore soy sauce. If you like your soup spicy, add a little cayenne or hot pepper flakes, but let it cook a minute or two before you taste again or add more. It takes a minute for the flavors of those items to develop. The vinegar is what makes this soup sour, so don't skimp. I start with the three T, but ended up adding quite a bit more. You just never want to start with a large amount-you can undo too little, but undoing too much is far trickier. This last time around I used a red wine vinegar, but about any will work. Once you have the flavor right (salty, sour, slightly spicy is what you're shooting for) mix up the cornstarch. This, once again, is a personal preference. If you like your soup really thick, mix up more cornstarch, if not, then the original amount should be plenty. Once you've got that added, beat your egg and add it, a little at a time, and mix it in so you have strands of egg throughout the soup. Then you can serve it!

Addition ideas:
bamboo shoots
water chestnuts or jicama
cabbage or carrot shreds
other meats, in pieces